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Woodworking is a great activity for practicing a range of skills and gaining lots of benefits. While the total number of degrees is only slightly more than 600 a year, the average annual salary of carpenters exceeds $40,000 in the United States.

Many students opt for a college major in woodworking because of the many diverse benefits it brings in terms of job opportunities as well as broader implications for your cognitive skills, creativity, and mental health. Let’s unpack some of these in greater detail.

Demand

If you become really adept at woodworking, you can expect to get a really well-salaried job. While the number of jobs may not be huge, top-notch specialists (e.g., carpenters, woodworking machine setters, furniture makers and installers, machine operators, and others) are always in great demand. What’s more, hand-made products are and will be in great demand, so the odds of getting a stable job with a reliable income stream look really promising. Whether you go it alone or decide to work for a company, you can hope for decent earnings.

Mental health benefits

Not only that, woodworking has a proven positive influence on your mental health. Many use it to deal with ongoing stress and depression. Woodworking is known to significantly reduce stress levels as your brain is forced to completely disengage from a stressful situation while focusing on the task at hand. Thus, it is considered a form of art therapy, which is used by numerous institutions and practitioners to deal with stress. College students know perfectly well how detrimental mental health risks can be. Those who grapple with dissertations or theses often use the services of reliable and trustworthy writing services. It always makes sense to hire a professional service to get your premium thesis completed on time and to the highest standards.

Physical health benefits

One of the most obvious and immediate benefits is related to your physical health. Woodworking is essentially a physical activity, and you use lots of hand and body muscles to get things done. Those who practice woodworking on a regular basis are usually as fit as a fiddle. Multiple research confirms a direct link between regular woodworking activities and increased fitness levels. In addition, there is evidence showing that it improves your cardiovascular health and motor skills.

Boosting creativity

If you are adept at woodworking, you can seriously put your creative skills to the test. Even when you follow pre-designed patterns, there is ample room for creativity to produce things that will make you stand out and be proud of yourself. Woodworking is an opportunity to materialize some of your most daring ideas and projects. Those who are exceptionally good often go on to start up their own businesses. Some go on to develop marketing strategies and products to sell their products. Market demand is always high for high-quality, hand-made woodworking arts and crafts.

Better hand-eye coordination

Woodworking is a process requiring attention to detail, consistency, and persistence. It does not condone lapses, which are easily detectable when you are done with your work. That’s why it takes a lot of regular practice to hone your skills. Hand-eye coordination is key to success. And there is hardly any other type of human activity that helps improve it. What’s more, you can draw on improved hand-eye coordination in lots of other activities too, including games and sports.

Key Takeaways

Woodworking is a great college major option because of its multiple benefits. While it paves the way for a promising business, it also has great benefits for your physical and mental health, cognitive skills, and creativity. If you think you have good woodworking skills, you should definitely consider a college degree. The caveat is that you should aim to become the very best in the field. Demand for jobs is not huge, but it is steady enough to guarantee stable income and professional development opportunities.

About the author

This article is provided by Barbara Fielder who is a seasoned researcher, experienced writer, and student coach. Her articles and reviews are extremely popular among students and tutors. Barbara enjoys advising college students on the most popular or promising college degree programs that can pave the way for great professional careers. She has a lot of followers among both students and tutors.